Vence's Journey: Prologue to Pilgrimage
by CherryDolls
Summary: If children are put into adult situations, they will act as such. Join Vence as he meets traveling companions for an unwanted journey through the darker side of the Johto region in an attempt to return home. :Previously:My heart is aching, my true self:
1. Of a common occurrence

_A/N: Greetings individual! I rather appreciate you clicking on my story and hop that you'll find it acceptable. This first chapter is slow compared to what I am mulling over in my brain, but are not all first chapters? Heh~_

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**Chapter One: Of A Common Occurrence.**

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"What would you say if I **told** you we were having pancakes for breakfast?" A stern female voice said in the distance.

Vence shut his eyes tighter, threw his covers over his head and tried to drift back to sleep. The tone his mother had warned him that the daily breakfast squabble was about to begin and he was in no mood to witness the madness that would ensue.

"But honey, I insist that we have waffles. I really, really insist." His father's unwavering voice responded "I'm sure we could settle this small clash of ideas in a mature, respectful manner however, _honey_."

"Oh, I'm quite sure we can, _sweetie_."

The emphasis on his mother's last word was followed by a quick scrambling of chairs and the door slam that had become apart of Vence's daily routine. He listened to his parents give each other a few more muffled shouts before he covered his ears for the inevitable cry that told him and the entire neighborhood that a new day was here.

"CHARIZARRRRRDDDDDDDDDDDDDD!!!!!!" The fire Pokémon cried from the backyard battlefield with such sheer force that Vence was knocked onto his bedroom floor. He quickly untangled himself from his blankets and covered his ears again, positive that his neighbors were doing the same as well. After all, the second morning cry was always worse than the first.

"RANNNNNITTAAARRRRRRRRRRRRRR!!!!!!!" Vence's father's Tyranitar cried, piercing the boy's ear drums and knocking several of his collectible cartoon figurines onto the ground. Vence held onto his bed frame and lifted himself from the ground, fearing that the worse wasn't over. His intuition proved correct when the room began to shake from what felt like a Hyper Beam being launched into the air. The force of the beam caused the boy to topple face first into a pile of dirty clothes that he cursed himself for not washing earlier. Fed up, he re- balanced himself on the shaky floor and slowly made his way to the window that overlooked the backyard.

Ignoring the fire pillars that swirled just behind the glass, Vence roughly opened the window and shouted "MOM! DAD! YOU'RE GOING TO DESTROY THE HOUSE AGAIN!!!"

The interruption from her son caused Vence's mother to hesitate mid battle, allowing her husband's Tyranitar to bash its tail into the side of her Charizard. She winced as her flame Pokémon crashed through their wooden fence and into the neighbor's flower garden, causing a small group of Oddish to scurry away in fear.

"Don't worry Vencey" She called up to her son merrily "we'll be done in a little bit! Your father will learn not to disagree with my breakfast suggestions in a second!" She winked at Vence as her Charizard jumped up and flew twenty feet in the air, blowing away several flowers and wood chips in its wake.

"I wouldn't be so sure about that honey." The grown man snorted and pointed towards the sky "Tyranitar, launch another hyper beam into the air. Let's show her the power of Waffle eaters!" Tyranitar let out another piercing roar and opened its mouth revealing a small orange energy orb that grew larger by the second.

Vence's mom frowned and pointed a threatening finger to Tyranitar "Not today, honey! Quick Charizard, launch a flamethrower before the hyper beam finishes charging!" In the sky Charizard let out another roar and sent a torrent of flame to the small battle field below. Vence shut his window quickly when he felt the air around him thicken and a bead of sweat roll down the back of his neck. After stepping a few feet away from the window he watched Tyranitar shoot its hyper beam into the air with excellent precision, colliding in the air with Charizard's on going flamethrower. A power struggle began as both Pokémon continued their attacks that generated such heat that both their trainers shed their bathrobes and shouted inspiration to their Pokémon in slightly revealing pajamas. After moments of both Pokémon losing and gaining force from their assaults both of their attacks exploded in their faces, creating a large cloud of dust that quickly covered the entire area of the backyard and interior of Vence's room. Vence coughed and blindly felt his way to the window that he was positive was now broken and once he felt the jagged tips of the shattered glass he squinted to see where his parents were in the obscured area below. When he finally managed to make out the battle field he saw both his parents sitting on the ground covered in dust. Tyranitar was floating unconscious on its back several feet away in their other neighbor's pool where a Psyduck poked it with enthusiasm.

"Be down in five minutes Vence." His father told him as he brushed dirt off his pajamas. "We're having…pancakes." Several feet above the house Charizard let out a happy roar that matched the delighted cheers of its trainer.

-----

"I just can't see why you two don't draw straws or something to decide stuff like this." Vence said before stuffing his face with another piece of pancake. The zeal that motivated his parents to battle had faded a bit and the morning was slowly transitioning into a calm one. The family sat at a round wooden table, which wobbled thanks to one of Vence's parents previous morning battles, in a fair sized kitchen with a large window that allowed the sun to gleam on the various pots and pans that littered the kitchen counter. Outside the large window sat Charizard and Tyranitar, lolling around the yard with their Pokémon food, enjoying the suburban air that only the small neighborhood on the outskirts of Saffron city provided.

"You just couldn't understand sweetie" Vence's mom said while she gazed serenely at her Charizard "Only trainers like your father and I can understand the wonder of a morning battle."

Her husband nodded in agreement "It's been these morning matches that has kept us together all these years" He added, taking his wife's hand and changing her point of focus. The couple became captivated by each other's image; savoring every line on their middle-aged faces, strand of gray that slowly crept up their sandy blonde hair and spec of post battle dust that contrasted with their peach like complexions. Unable to stomach the sight before him, Vence turned his attention to the calendar that hung on one of the kitchen walls.

Today's date had a red "X" on it, signifying the trip that Vence had been awaiting for the last month. He and his father would be leaving for the Johto region today via Saffron City train to spend a week in Goldenrod City with a grandparent he never met before. The visit to the unknown relative was not the cause for his excitement, however, but the fact that during their stay Vence would be celebrating his sixteenth birthday.

"_A sweet sixteen in Goldenrod City_" Vence thought to himself _"Goldenrod, the metropolis of the Johto region…god, this'll be great…"_As if he overheard his son's thoughts, Vence's dad broke eye contact with his wife and brought up the topic that the boy dreaded.

"So, Vence." His father began in a serious tone "Seeing as you'll be turning sixteen this year, have you given some consideration to actually starting a Pokémon journey anytime soon?" Vence gave a sigh at the question and tried to desperately find a way to change the conversation.

His mom decided to chime in during his silence "Oh Vencey, you know how important this is to us, you being a trainer and all. Did you know that when your father and I were your age we were already challenging the Sinnoh Elite Four!"

Of course Vence knew. How could he not? The entire interior of the family's living room was crammed with trophy after trophy that proved what great trainers his parents were in their youth and still were. Such wonderfully skilled trainers that when they decided to settle down, they were welcomed into a neighborhood full of strangers that considered getting a broken fence from one of their battles an honor. Such wonderful trainers that no one would second guess the battle aptitude their children would possess.

"Your sister called from the Celadon gym" His father said between a sip of coffee "Did you know Erika offered her a promotion in the gym? She's barely been out for a year now!"

"_Damn all talented ten year old girls."_ Vence thought to himself _"Damn them all to hell."_

"Just think about it hard Vencey." His mom smiled, squeezing his hand. "I'm sure you're feeling constricted at that regular school of yours. I mean, you're one of the three kids your age that didn't leave home at ten." Vence let out another sigh before lazily cramming another piece of pancake in his mouth. He really couldn't counter his mother's last statement because the truth was he did feel a little constricted these days, but not in the way his parents assumed. While they believed his confined feelings were a hint that he finally wanted to travel the world, it was truly the typical teenage yearn to be released from High School pressures and begin a secondary education where more people that shared his interests would be. Interests that did include Pokémon, but not to the point of basing his life around them.

"I- I don't really-"Vence begin before his mother cut him off.

"Just think about it Vencey. I'm sure you're ready for it. Now why don't you go get ready for the trip?" Not wanting to continue the conversation, Vence stuffed the last remains of food in his mouth and headed upstairs to pack his bags.

"Are you positive about this, sweetie?" Vence's father asked when he heard his son close the door to his room.

"Well no." His wife replied "But his sister was positive that something like this would give him the motivation he needs."

Vence's dad took another sip of his coffee. "A trip it is then."

---

_A/N: Considering this is the first story I have ever submitted, I'd appreciate a review! Farewell for now!_


	2. The day we all became alone

_A/N: Welcome to chapter two of my fanfiction bud! I hope you'll read it despite it being longer than some of the other stories here (I can't fit a chapter in 700 words!) I hope you get a feel of what type of story this is now :D!_

**Chapter two: The day we all became alone.**

_The Saffron City magnet train station was at the height of activity as clusters of businessmen, workers and travelers made their way to and from the building's various sections. Throughout the crowds friends called to one another and parents held the hands of their children tightly, intent on preventing them from becoming lost. As a group of ten year olds held the station map close to their noses, an olive skinned girl with light brown hair pulled into a ponytail clutched her train ticket tightly. The girl, who looked no more than sixteen, eyed the station dwellers nervously before taking a stiff seat on a nearby bench. _

"_Oh my Ho-Oh, can you be more nervous!?" A voice rung in the girl's ear, causing her to jump from the bench and onto the ground horrified. Several travelers furrowed their brows when she unleashed a stream of curses to the person that shocked her; a slightly older looking, brown skinned girl with long black hair braided at the tips. "Relax. It'll be fine." The older girl bent over and placed a comforting hand on her friend, receiving a welcoming smile in return._

"_I know." The younger girl muttered as she traced an "R" on the ground with her fingertips. _

_----_

When Vence entered the station with his father he couldn't help but gawk at the magnificence of everything. Even the floor tiles amazed him and he soon found himself staring intently at the clean reflection they gave off. Every detail of his image, his short, tousled sandy blonde hair, thin eyeglasses; peach colored skin littered with small red blotches and, to his dismay, pimples, was eerily clear in the floor tiles and given a slightly odd charm.

"Pay attention." His dad told him, snapping Vence back to attention. The older male reached into his pocket and dug out two silver tickets with the picture of a running Rapidash on the top of them and red inked details below the Pokémon. "We're catching the Rapidash Express to Goldenrod City so we won't be stuck in that damn Slowpoke local line. Do you have everything you need? The bag your mother gave you?"

"Yeah" Vence said, slinging said bag over his right shoulder and tightening his grip on the suitcase in his left hand. "What time do we leave dad?"

Vence's father checked the print on their tickets and then the time on his PokéGear "Ten minutes. We have to hurry." As the father and son made their way through the busy crowd, Vence couldn't help but notice the crowd that a small squabble between two girls his age drew. The girls eventually took notice of the crowd too and rushed away in a hurry with their heads lowered in what Vence believed was embarrassment.

"Tch, those are the trainers that never last long." Vence's dad spoke over his shoulder to his son "The ones that goof off. They need to be more like that youngster." His dad pointed to a young trainer Vence's age in the distance with blonde hair that was an obvious failed attempt at the Sinnoh gym leader Volkner's hairstyle. He had almond shaped, brown eyes that darted from the map in his hand to the two girls that made were making a fuss earlier. He was eavesdropping and being blunt about it.

"Sure dad." Vence muttered half heartedly. He was still staring at the guy and finding the expressions he made to the girl's conversation amusing.

---

When Vence was shown to his train seat he couldn't help but be amazed at the layout of the passengers. For behind the two seats that were assigned for him and his father sat the two dramatic girls from earlier, both laughing at something Vence was too nervous to understand. The darker of the two threw Vence a peace sign as he took his seat and gave a friendly chuckle at the blush that crept across his face.

"_I guess I have been home too long."_ Vence thought to himself _"I haven't seen girls my age in…er, ages…"_

As the boy tried to regulate the abnormal breathing the girls behind him caused, his father tapped his shoulder and pointed to a seat in a nearby aisle. It was occupied by the trainer that his father had complimented earlier. The boy kept tossing looks at the girls behind Vence and fiddling with a Poké Ball in his hands.

Vence's father grinned "Trainers catch Lasses as well." He nudged his son as if to say 'see, you should become one' before turning his attention to a news paper with the Kanto elite four on the cover. Vence just gave a sigh and turned his attention to the world outside the train window as it slowly disappeared into the distance.

---

Hours later Vence realized that the ride to Goldenrod city would prove to be an uneventful one. He silently cursed himself for believing that it would be otherwise and a glance at the girls behind him, both focusing on Poké Balls of their own, added to his disappointment.

"_I wonder if they're good trainers."_ He mused to himself _"I bet they're on his level."_ He added, turning to the almond eyed boy that had drifted off to sleep some time ago. Taking his lead, Vence decided to close his eyes, but was disrupted by a hard knee to the back of his chair.

"Oh, I'm sorry!" The olive skinned girl apologized to Vence before he even had the opportunity to speak. She stood and her dark haired friend interlocked their arms.

"Bathroom break, you know?" The older girl smiled at Vence. She waited for a response from Vence before awkwardly leading her friend out of their aisle and to the front of the train. Vence automatically gave himself a mental slap.

"_Dumb ass!"_ he yelled in his head _"Say something cool and witty at a time like that! Crap I wonder if they'll-"_

"Excuse me." A whisper cut Vence's thoughts off. He turned to see the almond eyed boy that was sleeping a minute ago wide awake with an expression that looked to old to be worn on a young face. "Are you a Pokémon trainer?"

Vence was flustered by the question and turned to his sleeping dad for support. "Err, I'm not really- you see he- my dad-"

"Are you or aren't you?" The guy asked with a hint of annoyance in his voice that just made Vence garble his wording more.

"Is there a reason you're asking this question Youngster." Vence's dad's stern voice made both boys jump. The man barely indicated that he was awoken.

"Sorry, sir. Yes, there is. We're all in trouble here, this whole train." The boy talked in a quicker whisper, making it hard for the father and son to follow.

"Speak clearer, son" Vence's dad commanded, causing the boy to freeze up a little.

The boy cleared his throat harshly. "I'm trying to say that we're in trouble. Only Business people catch the express to Goldenrod so there aren't many trainers here and those-"

The sound of a scream, gunshot and small explosion interrupted the boy mid sentence and caused a stream of screams to erupt from the train passengers in the same cart as Vence. Several people jumped from their seats as more shots were heard and a violent thump echoed over the screaming crowd. The front train door slammed open and several stewardesses ran into the cart shouting commands to the passengers.

"Run to the farthest part of the train!"

"Does anyone have a Pokétch!!??"

"Get down."

"Team Roc-!"

BANG

The last stewardess to shout a command fell face first onto the ground, revealing a fresh gunshot wound to the back. This caused the passengers to become even more chaotic; they frantically pushed and shoved each other, each trying to get away from the unknown threat. Vence looked in horror as various men and woman forced their way to the cart's back door, biting, clawing and punching their way throughout the crazed crowd. He dove behind the chair in front of him to hide from the madness and was soon followed by his father and the young trainer.

"What is this?" Vence's dad whispered to the almond eyed boy as they hid behind their seats "Who's doing this?"

Vence let out a gasp of disbelief when the two girls from earlier stepped into the train cart clad fully in Team Rocket uniforms that were stained with blood.

"Let's rip the seats up." The brown haired girl said "They'd try to hide it, right?"

The duo began to rip apart the first row of chairs with surprising strength as passengers continued to flee to the next cart. Soon the cart was empty save Vence, his father, the almond eyed boy and the two girls, the latter of which too occupied in their search to notice the males creep across the room to a further row.

"Listen." Vence's father turned to the boys "I've dealt with this lot in my day and those two girls are nothing but grunts. That means there's a boss in the front of the train, probably the one who fired the guns earlier." The man reached into his suit and pulled out a Poké Ball. He gave it to his son and stared at the two boys intently. "I'll go by those two and get after him while you-"

The man stopped his sentence as several vines wrapped around the chairs hiding the males and ripped them from the train's floor. The men jumped up quickly and turned to see both girls in battle positions. The vines came from an Ivysaur that stood fiercely besides the older girl who, upon recognizing them, eased her stance a little. Her Pokémon threw the chairs it held against the train wall, startling the Poliwhirl that stood besides the younger girl.

"You guys might want to run." The older girl said with a smile "I don't think you would want to start trouble with my boss in there. He's trying to make sure this thing doesn't crash since he…well settled a score with the train conductor."

Vence's dad tossed a dirty look at the girl. "You don't want to be doing something as dumb as picking a fight with me, Lass." The elder man stood at his full height and made the girls take a step back.

"Iv, Ivysaur!" The older girl's Pokémon shouted besides her, snapping the girls back to attention. "You're right." She smiled to the grass Pokémon. She reached inside a pack that hung to her side and pulled out a small intercom. "Sir…" she began to speak into it "We have an issue…"

"What's your name, youngster?" Vence's dad asked the almond eyes boy while staring at the girls.

"Re- Uh, Rai." He mumbled.

"Got it. Vence, Rai, you both have to take these girls out if you don't want someone else ending up like…" Vence followed hi dad's gaze to the shivering body of the Stewardess. "There's most likely a first aid kit in there with their boss. You two get those grunts."

Vence tossed his dad a puzzled look "How do-"

"The Poké Ball I gave you Vence! Get it together! This is your chance to shine like your sister!"

Vence ignored the blow to his ego and nodded to his dad. At that, the man charged pass the two girls, who flinched at his ferocious run, and into the next cart.

"Ivysaur! Use-"

"Shut up!" Rai shouted to the girl "I choose you, Nidoran!" Rai tossed his Poké Ball towards the girls and a flash of red erupted from it producing the spiky, purple poison pin Pokémon. "Use Poison sting, now!"

"Nidoran!" the creature shouted before opening its mouth and releasing several skinny, glowing, purple darts at the girls' Pokémon. Although Poliwhirl was knocked over by the attack, Ivysaur stood its ground, barely affected.

"Damn it." Rai murmured to Vence "That attack won't do it and there's not enough space in this cart to actually attempt any of my other attacks. You have a Pokémon right?"

"Oh, y-yea." Vence stuttered, unable to keep a firm grasp on his surroundings. "I put it…" He checked several of his pockets before he found the Poké Ball he received earlier. "Go, er, you!" he shouted as he tossed the ball into the air, accidently hitting a fluorescent light with it and blowing it out. The girls gave a disbelieving look at the move before focusing their attention on the red light that formed the Pokémon Vence would be battling with.

"Exeggutor." The Coconut Pokémon yawned after being released. Rai gave a sigh of relief at the sight of it.

"Great!" He said to Vence "Your Exeggutor can take out Poliwhirl! Hurry so we can-"A flurry of razor leaves snapped Rai's attention back to the battle "Quick Nidoran, stop those leaves with your Poison sting! Make sure you don't hit the stewardess! Vence! Do something!"

"I.." Vence gave Rai a sheepish look "I don't know any of this Pokémon's moves…" He simply frowned at Vence before plucking a Poké Ball off his belt.

"I choose you, Growlithe!" Rai shouted, releasing the orange furred Puppy Pokémon. "Use ember on Ivysaur!" Growlithe gave a happy yelp before sending several fire pellets the Rocket Grunts way.

The younger grunt held onto her partner's shoulder "Let's switch targets. Poliwhirl please use bubble beam on Growlithe! Surround it with them!"

"Whirl~!" The Pokémon chirped before hoping onto one of the tattered train chairs, easily dodging the ember attack, and releasing several large, glistening bubbles from the swirl on its abdomen. The Bubbles soared towards Growlithe, who ducked behind Nidoran at Rai's command, but to no avail. The bubble beam attack surrounded both Pokémon and nearly engulfed them before the bubbles exploded around them, severely weakening Nidoran and knocking out Growlithe. Rai returned the latter to its Poké Ball and gave Vence and the now lounging Exeggutor a desperate look.

The older grunt took this as an opportunity to finish Rai off "Ivysaur, execute Giga Drain!" Several glowing vines released from Ivysaur's flower and wrapped around Nidoran, who lacked the energy to dodge. Rai watched hopelessly as the energy from his Pokémon was quickly sucked into Ivysaur knocking out Nidoran.

"Vence…" Rai whispered as he returned Nidoran to its Poké Ball "You have to do something. I only had those two Pokémon." Vence, who had been helplessly trying to get Exeggutor to use every grass type move that came to mind, gave Rai a hopeless look.

"Maybe my dad will come back soon and-"

"Fuck your dad!" Vence shouted and pointed at the Rocket Grunts that were slowly advancing to their side of the train cart. "Do you know what they'll do to us? To our-** my**- Pokémon? I just fought for both of us and lost, so come up with a damn plan to-"

"Exeggutor, use… Solar Beam. Now!" As if finally hearing magic words, Exeggutor hopped to its feet and began to collect sunlight in its leaves.

"Crap!" the older girl spat "We're screwed if that thing launches! Ivysaur, you begin Solar Beam too!"

"No time" The younger girl said "Poliwhirl, use a body slam!" At its trainer's command, Poliwhirl lunged towards Exeggutor to execute its attack, but was too late. While Ivysaur's flower gathered more sunlight and Poliwhirl dropped closer to Exeggutor, the coconut Pokémon releaser the solar energy stored in one ferocious blast that not only collided with Poliwhirl, but shattered the entire left wall of the train cart.

Vence, Rai, The two Grunts, Ivysaur and Exeggutor watched as the train drove across a bridge seven hundred and forty feet high and as Poliwhirl flew majestically into the air from the solar beam's force and then plummet to the jagged mountains below. And as Exeggutor and Ivysaur shone red and put themselves back into their Poké Balls, the younger grunt let out a screech that Vence would never forget; one that he could only classify as the sound of a dying baby.

---

At the Goldenrod City metro Station Vence sat on a ragged bench as his father completed his questioning to the city's Officer Jenny and a group of men in scrubs slowly wheeled away the shot, but living, stewardess. Shortly after Exeggutor and Ivysaur returned to their Poké Balls with no intention of coming out, Vence's father returned with the Rocket Grunt's boss unconscious and the train safely on auto pilot. After a minor skirmish between Vence's dad and the older grunt girl, Rai filled the elder man in on the happening of the battle, excluding the younger grunt's Poliwhirl, and volunteered to keep an eye on the Team Rocket members that were now unconscious. Throughout the rest of the train ride Vence's father kept telling him how proud he was of his son and how ready he was for his own journey.

"I have to go to the bathroom dad." Vence muttered as the older man approached the bench, finally free from Officer Jenny's questioning.

"Hurry back Vence." His father smiled "Your mother and I have something to give you!"

With no will to inquire on what was just said, Vence left his bag with his father and made his way to the station's bathroom. Along the way he passed Officer Jenny escorting the two rocket grunts and grunt boss, a tall, wide man, to the back of her police van. The younger of the grunts sobbed profusely as she made her into the van. Before the van door shut, Vence made out the shape of the older man's foot slamming into the younger girl's face. When Vence went into the bathroom he threw himself over its sink and after moments of gruesome expectation, released a steady flow of vomit.

Vence's father was not waiting for him on the station bench when he returned from the bathroom. The boy's entire luggage was missing as well except for the backpack his mother packed for him before they set off. Unsurely, Vence opened the bag for the first time and was greeted with his name written in bold letters on a folded piece of paper. He opened note and read:

_**Dear Vence,**_

_**We both believe this is what you needed to get your very own Pokémon journey started. Although we apologize for the way we had to lure you to Johto (you should be aware that we have no relatives located there by now), we are happy you are starting your journey there. This backpack is filled with everything you will need on your journey. We expect you home when you have received all eight of your badges.**_

_**Love You,**_

_**Mom and Dad**_

Vence dropped everything onto the ground and fell to his knees. Six Poké Balls rolled out of his bag and crept to the furthest corners of the station. As the sunset flickered on each of them, they became as lonely as Vence was.

_A/N: For the record, you can consider Vence Caucasian, Rai Asian (Japanese specifically.), and… well I'll give the other characters away as they make a more severe impact on the story. Please read and review! Ask questions if you like!_


	3. Four cries in the night

_Hey again! Hope me updating at 9:38 PM doesn't add trouble to who views this!_

**Chapter three: Four cries in the night.**

_In the Goldenrod City red light district a dark skinned boy made his way through the busy streets with his right hand concealed under his shirt. He used his left hand to wave at the tempting calls from a group of girls and boys in revealing leather clothing then turned at the nearest corner and welcomed the sight of an abandoned street._

"_Perfecto~" he chirped, removing his hand from under his shirt and letting it bleed freely onto the ground. As he began an upbeat stroll down the desolate street, a small sound in the distance caught his attention. He stopped walking and tried to carefully listen for what, or who, ever made the noise. He heard it again seconds later, or them rather. There were four of them; four far, lucid cries ringing throughout the night air, only able to be heard in the rare streets that lacked the damnable night life nearby. _

"_Quite the interesting night~." He told himself before taking a coin from his pocket with his bloody right hand. He began to whistle a merry tune as he flipped the coin into the air and continued his stroll down the dark street, becoming ever closer to the cries._

---

Vence was still on his knees at the Goldenrod City Magnet station, still unable to believe the situation he was forced into by his parents.

"Hey, watch were you stuff ends up. I almost broke my neck because of this!" Vence turned to see the boy from earlier, Rai, holding one of the Poké Balls that had spilt out his bag moments ago. Rai's hardened expression went soft when he saw the void look that Vence gave him. "Fu-, What happened to you…" Vence ignored the question and slowly began to pick up the items he dropped around him. Rai took offense to the act.

"It was a question." He frowned "Don't have to be an ass about it." He tossed the discarded Poké Ball in front of Vence and was about to turn to leave, but a shining case among Vence's items caught his attention. "I thought you weren't a Pokémon trainer." Rai folded his arms, half intrigued and half annoyed.

Vence bitterly tossed the badge case into his bag along with a map of the region and a rather pathetic amount of money "Well apparently I am. S- Sorry about the ball. I dropped-"

"Forget the ball" Rai said waving his hand as if it waved the topic away. "What's with the mood?"

Vence zipped up his bag and got to his feet. He just noticed how close he and Rai were in height, despite going through the same ordeal with the teen hours ago.

"So?" Rai asked, awaiting an answer. Vence dug into his pocket and gave Rai the shredded pieces of his parent's letter. While the teen tried to piece together the ripped papers, Vence told Rai of his parent's expectations of him to become a trainer and the current situation it landed him in.

"They always talked about me becoming a trainer." Vence's voice creaked "But I didn't think they'd plan something like this. They left me here with forty f-fucking Kanto dollars in my bag! How much is that in this region anyway?" Vence let out a loud shout that had been stirring inside him and then threw himself onto a station bench. He put his head in his hands and began to sob silently to himself.

Rai felt awkward around the abandoned boy, but tried not to let it show on his face. "Get up... we're leaving." He let the shreds of paper he had been reading fall to his feet and began to grind them into the station platform with his shoes.

"What are you talking about?" Vence said more to himself than Rai.

The almond eyed boy scraped a few bits of paper from his shoes before replying "We're heading to the Pokémon Center. It should take us a while too, especially without a city map, so let's go."

"What good does going there do?" Vence responded in a downcast tone. He shifted on the bench, uncomfortable with his new trend of negativity.

"You're a trainer now." Rai stated simply. "You need a place to sleep. Not to mention my Pokémon need to be healed thanks to yo-"He cut his sentence short and just gave Vence an impersonal look before turning and walking towards the station exit. Vence got to his feet and followed him, walking a few paces behind.

---

The boys engaged in light conversation as the made their way to the Pokémon Center from the train station. It was actually sort of comforting to Vence, having someone to talk to and, more importantly, show him the way he had to take in such an unfamiliar environment. Vence learned that Rai wasn't in fact a Pokémon trainer like his father assumed.

"A coordinator" the boy said over his shoulder as they squeezed their way between locals familiar with the over crowdedness of rush hour side walks. "I specialize in cool and tough Pokémon and heading to a town nearby to win my first ribbon."

"Cool" Vence replied honestly, receiving a thumbs up from Rai. He had always watched Pokémon contests on the weekends and was an avid fan of coordinators like Daisy Oak and Ruby (whose name caused Rai to break into a sudden coughing fit.) As the boys continued their journey to the center, Vence couldn't notice the…devious turn that the city shops took.

So far the duo had only passed shops that you would expect any trainer to see on their way to a Pokémon Center; marts, coffee shops and even a small bike shop. The buildings had become shadier after a few turns, however. The innocent shops were replaced by dark bars where inebriated adults stumbled out of before being swept into the street's crowd and large, neon lit clubs where trainers that were obviously underage awaited entry in gaudy outfits.

"Crap…" Rai said trying to focus on his Pokétch and not the grown woman that sung 'Viridian City' off key while her Machoke carried her home over its shoulder. "I think we made a few wrong turns. We're in the red light district."

"A few?" Vence questioned as he stared at a tattooed girl have the Flareon on her shoulder light cigarettes for her friends "Do you know how to get back?

"Should be…this way." The boys turned a few more corners and found themselves away from the bustling crowds of Goldenrod and on streets that were only occupied by moonlight.

Vence tossed Rai a nervous look as they advanced down a quiet street "This doesn't feel…"

"You cats lost?"

Both boys quickly turned to face the voice behind them and were met by the unnerving smiles of four pierced men. They all looked to be in their early twenties and were dressed in clothes as dark as their surroundings, an obvious attempt to camouflage themselves.

"Hey, you guys are Pokémon trainers, right?" One of the men spoke. He had more piercings than the other which Vence took as a symbol of his leadership "How strong are your Pokémon?" The four men reached into their coats and pulled out black Ultra Balls. "How would you like a battle?"

"We're not-"Vence began before being cut off by the release of the men's Pokémon. Four sleek Persians took form in front of the boys and showed their claws.

"Perrrrrsssss" The all cried towards the boys in unison, causing a string of laughter to erupt from their Trainers.

"We don't want to battle." Rai spoke defiantly "Vence, let's-"

"You can't get pass us until you battle." The man grinned "Come on, we'll play nice."

Vence shifted nervously. "My dad took Exeggutor with him after the train…incident" he whispered to Rai, who tensed instantly.

"Fine" Rai shouted "Poké Balls GO!" The teen reached to his side and tossed both of his Poké Balls into the air expertly. The men shielded their eyes from the red flash that erupted from them and, upon regaining their vision, erupted into a second laughing fit.

"W-what's so funny?" Vence asked with a false sense of courage. The source of laughter was obvious to him though, it was Rai's Pokémon. The creatures, who had not yet recovered from their battle with the rocket grunts, lay unconscious on the deserted street with no will to fight. "You wanted a battle."

"Are you serious kid?" The pierced boss said in between laughs. He regained his composure and his men followed suit. "You kids must be new to this city." He said, reaching into his pocket and pulling out a steel knife. "It's obvious because ya haven' run yet. The last two trainers we met didn't even show us their Pokémon before we stole them."

Rai's eyes widened at the statement. He quickly pulled out his Poké Balls and returned his Pokémon, tucking them in the farthest lock on his belt and taking a step back from the men.

"Come on, don't be that way." The man said advancing with his own Persian "We'll let you keep that useless Nidoran. Growlithe will only sell high to one of the casinos. Hand it over and you can-"

Vence took Rai by the arm and began to run down the street with him, only letting go when he was positive the teen realized that they were running. As they sped further away from the men, the duo looked back to see if they were being pursued and mentally cursed as the four Persians the gangsters commanded hastily ran towards them.

The Classy Cat Pokémon followed the boys as they turned several corners in a vain attempt to shake them off and eventually began to start unleashing several thunderbolt attacks at the pair. One landed close enough to Vence to send the boy tumbling towards the ground face first.

"Come on" Rai shouted, rushing over to the fallen teen "Those things-"The lead Persians pounced on Rai and sent him crashing to the ground as well. The creature opened its mouth wide and tried to bite Rai's face, but found its mouth full of his arm instead. "**ERUGHH**" Rai screamed in pain as Persian dug deeper into his arm, piercing several layers of flesh. "**Vence, God Vence help me**!"

Nearby Vence's body spasmed as the three other Persians delivered another combined thunderbolt to his body. He tried to remain conscious as the classy cats stepped on his body to re group with their leader, who had abandoned a cringing Rai and stepped into a flickering street light, blood trickling down its whiskers the entire time. When the Persians lined up in front of their leader, the four of them began to cry into the night, unleashing their calls as loudly as they could for their masters to hear them.

Vence and Rai could hear the gang's foot steps before they reached them. As a last, desperate, plan of escape, Rai tried to reach for his Poké Balls, but had his hand kicked away from his waist and stepped on by the gang's leader.

"Damn idiots." He muttered, slowly adding pressure to Rai's hand causing the boy to squeal in pain. Vence tried to crawl to his companion, but was kicked in the side by one of the gang's members.

"_This…"_ Vence thought to himself as he felt several globs of spit land on his face _"Is a Pokémon journey? What the hell… is so magical about this?"_ Vence began to close his eyes and drift into unconsciousness as the men grouped around the fallen Rai.

"This is a mighty poor way to treat my age group, innit~?" a voice, different from the others, rung through Vence's ears, causing him to open his eyes. A dark skinned boy strolled casually out of the shadows and into the moonlight several feet away from the men, causing the various piercings that graced his ears to shine eerily. He wiped his bloody right hand onto his shirt before putting it on his hip and giving the gang a thumb ups with his left hand.

"So!" He grinned broadly with his eyes closed "Who wants to die first?"

As the men stared at the teen, expressionless, his hand began to bleed again.

---

_So, what do you think? On the next chapter I've decided to begin a little OC request for gym leaders for fun, so I hope no one hates me for it. I already have gym leaders and plot lines written down; I just thought it'd be fun to add another user into the story. Also, do you guys think I should keep this M for Mature or make it T for Teens? Please leave a comment on what you think!_


	4. The sunrise below

_Here we are once again! A lot of minor characters are introduced in this chapter, but all are needed! This chapter isn't as heavy as the previous ones, I guess its nicer and more Pokémon-y at the end. To the story:_

**Chapter four: The sunrise below.**

_Six young adults, barely nineteen years old, loitered in front of the craggy wall that made up 'The Lux Flux', a popular red light district club infamous for its constantly changing techno beats and alcoholic drinks that were dangerously charged with the electricity of the club's mascot, Luxray. The youths, three girls and three boys that were all dressed in risqué outfits, talked among themselves as clubbers came in and out of 'The Lux Flux', some disgusted and others intrigued at the six individuals that mingled in front of the club entrance._

"_And-And then 'e tried not to pay me!" the smallest of them, an eighteen year old in tight, red leather, spoke frantically to a muscular boy dressed in a revealing football star costume "So Caterpie used string shot on em and I took es wallet and ran, and I think e's still tied up in his car!" The boy erupted in laughter at the story, causing the girl's face to puff up in anger._

_Two other girls did each other's make up and fixed each other's Lopunny costumes while another boy, just as muscular as the last, commanded his two Machamps to escort a frail looking boy to a nearby store for snacks. The frail boy walked into the madness of the red light district crowds with the two large Pokémon as a flashy car pulled in front of his five peers causing them to turn their attention to it. The door slowly opened and a girl in a platinum miniskirt with long pink hair stepped out of the car with a Jynx following behind her. As the car sped off into the brash lights of the night, she dug into her cramped skirt pocket and fished out a large wad of cash._

"_No worries for the next two months!" The girl smiled as she and her Jynx rushed over to the teens that began to cheer in relief._

---

Vence tried to manage through his blurred vision and get a good image of the boy that remained in the awkward pose under the moonlight. He decided to abandon his attempts and instead tried to turn his head to get a view of Rai, who could still be heard sobbing silently.

"Who the fuck are you?" The gang leader asked, stepping away from Vence and Rai's fallen bodies and slowly inching his way towards the boy with his Gang and Persians "You've made such a mistake inter-"

"Bet my Pokémon is better than yours.~" The boy smiled at the gangsters, abandoning his goofy pose and standing upright. He reached to his side and pulled out a Poké Ball, letting the men get a good view of his bloody hand as he did it. "The Pokémon I'm about to show you is stronger than a Rayquaza and Groudon that has been fused together with a Ho-Oh that-"

"Get him." the gang leader ordered, causing the four Persians the gang commanded to dash towards the boy with sharp claws jutting out of their paws. The boy took a few hop backs to make his distance from the creatures wider before throwing his Poké Ball into the air and flooding the street with red light. The Persians stopped in their tracks and tried to make out the Pokémon that had just been released into the darkness.

"Perssss" The classy cats hissed as the boy stepped back into the moon light with a small, green Pokémon skipping lightly by his side.

"Bell~" The Bellossom piped, performing a little curtsey in front of its trainers feet. The boy picked the Pokémon up and held it in his arms, awaiting movement from the gang.

The leader didn't laugh at the small size of the boy's Bellossom like he did with the Pokémon Rai had released earlier. Instead, he tugged one of the many piercings on his face until it began to bleed, a soothing technique he used. "Persians, kick this kid's-"

The Persians didn't wait for the gang leader to finish his sentence and continued their previous dash towards the boy. He took a moment to be impressed by the dedication of the gang's Pokémon before whispering to Bellossom and then throwing the Pokémon into the air with all his strength. The Persians stopped their charge once again to look at the flower Pokémon as it twirled through the night sky with the moon, large and full, shining down on it overhead. As Bellossom spun, it released a large amount of gleaming blue powder that drifted down to the Persians lightly and made their eyes heavy. As the classy cats dropped to the ground one by one, Bellossom fell from the sky and landed on the sleeping pile of cats with a soft thump.

"S- Sleeping Powder." The gang leader stuttered, aggravated at the cheap move this stranger used to take out his gang's Pokémon. He clutched the switch blade in his hand tighter before signaling for his men to move forward. As the group charged towards the boy, Bellossom let out another blast of sleep powder, this time smoky and violent instead of shimmer and elegant. The men crashed to the ground near their Pokémon, accidently stabbing themselves with their blades as they landed. The snores that erupted from them showed that they were too deep in their slumber to feel it.

"Great~ Thanks Bellossom." The boy smiled, returning it to its Poké Ball as it curtsied at the appreciation. After placing the Poké Ball next to another one on his belt, the boy went to each of the gang members and delivered several hard kick to each of their noses until they began to bleed heavily. "Stupid…asses…stealing…Pokémon." He said before taking their Poké Balls and returned their Persians. He didn't hesitate when he tossed the balls into a nearby dumpster.

"You shouldn't have done that." Vence mumbled as he struggled to his feet. He was beginning to gain his strength back, but the several shocks that his body received and kick to his side made it impossible for him to move further than a few steps. " Rai… Rai, are you."

"I'll live." Rai said in monotone. His face was turned to both of the boys. "Just give me a second…"

Vence, apprehensive about Rai's tone, but happy to see the boy had stopped bleeding, turned to their rescuer, who was now ruffling through the gangster's pockets and stuffing their possessions in his. "Thanks for helping us, but who-"

"Fran." The boy cut Vence off "And you shouldn't be thanking me. The herbal girl tipped us all off to what this gang has been doing to trainers."

"Us?" Rai asked, finally on his feet, but only slightly more mobile than Vence "Are there-"

"So what were you two doing in this part of the city? Everyone knows that it's only safe to be here if you're not a safe person."

Rai's faced pinked at Fran's comment. He was technically the one to lead Vence and himself to the area. "We're trying to get to the Pokémon Center. Could you help us out?"

"Well…" Fran shifted nervously in front of the guys "I doubt you two could make it to the center tonight. You're pretty far from it." He let out a cough and cleared his throat as if to get the information he had out better "I know a place that heals Pokémon and people though. If you two don't think it'll be too weird to trust a stranger and all.~"

Vence and Rai, upon looking at the battered conditions they both were in, figured they were in no position to refuse an act of Kindness.

"Um…" Vence responded awkwardly to the offer.

"Great! She'll like this." Fran exclaimed, heading over to the two boys and throwing their arms around his neck to help them balance. "You can't walk far, right? If we can make it just a few blocks up…"

The three boys began a slow, but steady, walk down the abandoned street with Fran guiding the way. As they walked further and further from the sleeping pile of men, several Zubats emerged from the abandoned house they slumbered in and began to hover around the gang.

"Zuuuuu" one shrieked to the others, indicating that fresh blood was near.

---

The trio made their way through several deserted streets before they began to see signs of the undying nightlife again. As they walked, Fran questioned them on how they got into their situation again, causing Vence and Rai to tell the story of the train battle and Vence's abandonment which, in turn, got several 'Holy crap, REALLY!?'s from Fran. As the boys continued their story, now to the point where Rai was getting his arm bitten off, Fran lead them to a street that was more crowded than the others. Vence squinted his eyes at the light pollution the neon lit clubs caused and looked up to see the sign in the distance that shined the brightest of them all; "The Lux Flux."

"Please tell me we aren't here for medical attention." Rai said weakly as he watched several Pokémon trainers dance out of the club with their Poké Balls dangerously stuffed into their mouths.

"Well, sorta." Fran replied. He pointed to a group of seven teenagers that were dressed in a variety of revealing costumes. "Those guys right there are your saviors for the day." He said with a smile before shouting a greeting to the teens as they began to approach.

"What do we have here, Fran?" A gruff, muscular boy with sleazy Machamp costume on asked as Fran, Rai and Vence stopped in front of the group. Fran was the only one of the three that didn't have a look of embarrassment on his face at the boy's costume- he was practically nude. "I thought you were taking the day off. These guys customers?"

"No, no." Fran said with a smile "Just the lucky guys that got to be the city's victims tonight. I need someone to open the Underground Path for us."

The boy gave an experienced 'oh' before a large breasted girl in a Lopunny costume, that appeared too small for her, pushed the muscular boy aside and cupped Vence's face, making him blush feverishly.

"Oh my gooooooood! Nooooo, you poor boys!" She switched her point of concern to Rai and threw her arms around his head, completely taking him from Fran's neck. "This city can be so cruel, don't we know it! You're all safe now. Don't worry!"

"Who…are…you?" Rai asked as he struggled to escape the suffocation of the girl's gifted bosom. "We….need…"

"Put him down, Bethany." Vence, Rai and the rest of the group turned their attention to a girl sitting on a box nearby. She had her eyes closed as her Jynx put a coat of eye shadow on her that was just as pink as her hair. "Fran…I'll take you once Jynx finishes my make-up… she, er, won't let me get up…" Said Pokémon turned and blew the boy a kiss before turning back to her trainer and unsheathing fresh lipstick from its tube. Fran nodded and helped Vence and Rai balance themselves against the club wall.

---

As Vence began an awkward talk with the group of teenagers, he started to suffer from a severe case of culture shock. He tried not to jump to an assumption as to why the teens, who he discovered were all Pokémon trainers, were out so late dressed in such salacious garb, but couldn't ignore what they were doing when Henry, the muscular boy dressed as a football player, was called into a car by a group of creepy businessmen that flashed a pile of money.

"Hope this doesn't change whatever image you had of us before." The Machoke impersonator, Guam, said to Vence, causing him to begin a garbled sentenced about how he doesn't mind what they're doing. This got a laugh out of the other Lopunny girl, Lea. The two shorter members of the group, a small girl named Pep and frail looking boy named Manni, tried their best to entertain a troubled looking Rai before leaving the group for another store run for snacks. After ten minutes passed, the pink haired girl was finally released from the box she sat at by Jynx. After a forced round of applause by her peers, who knew better than to critique Jynx's 'beautification processes' , the girl dragged Fran and the now mobile Vence and Rai from the group.

"The actual entrance that we use is a few streets away." She said, as she expertly guided the three boys through the red light district's streets, gathering a collection of cat calls along the way. "It's covered with posters, so it's impossible to tell that it's a door, right Fran?"

Fran whistled nonchalantly at the comment. It wasn't the first time he needed help finding the entrance to the underground path.

"What exactly is the Underground Path?" Vence asked the girl as Rai listened intently.

She scratched her head, trying to find a way to explain the place "Well you could say it's a shopping district since the majority of things there are stores, but… it's larger than your average shopping district. It's kind of like a second Goldenrod city… a city under the city. Not to mention it's a home too. One to people like, well, me."

"And what exactly is a person like you?" Rai asked in a serious tone, causing Vence to look at him awkwardly.

"You were there.~" Fran smiled to the boy, despite his slight hostility.

The girl nodded as she made the boys stop at an abandoned wall and gave Rai a weary smile "Prostitutes, Gigolos, Tramps, and Whores. There are hundreds of names for us, but…" she knocked on the abandoned wall before ripping several tattered posters off of it, revealing a cool, steel, black door. "we're trainers first." She dug her nails into the side of the door before opening it with a loud creak before stepping to the side so Vence and Rai could get a good view of the dark passage "Welcome to the Underground."

---

The pink haired girl left the boy's without telling them her name and when Vence and Rai asked for it from Fran, the boy just shrugged and proceeded down the dark steps that lead to the Underground Path. There was minimum light underground and the only thing that kept Vence from becoming lost in the surroundings he couldn't see was the small streams of pink that clubs leaked through holes in abandoned stores and the gleam they gave off of Fran's piercings.

"You really give off a new trainer vibe." Rai whispered to him after he stopped Vence from walking into an old woman that passed the trio "You didn't notice the nine people we passed, heh." Vence gave him a light hit on the back before regretting it. His bones still ached.

As they continued their way through the path, Vence noticed a small glow that flickered slightly in the distance. The orange glow grew brighter with every walk the boys took and they soon found the light spilling across their bodies and bathing the entire area in its glow, only to flicker out of existence seconds later and start up again. When the boys became so close to the light that Vence had to shield his eyes from its intensity, it died out and started up again, small and orange. Vence could make out the light's source now.

In front of a small shop, lying on a small bed of flower pots that was arrange on each side of its door, a Volbeat and Illumise slept soundly together, lightly moving the petals of the plants with each exhale. Every so often the two Pokémon would touch, causing the small glow that emitted from both of their bodies to become brighter and erupt into a blast of light that ended when their sleeping forms shifted away from each other.

"We're here." Fran spoke quietly to the boys, partly trying not to wake the firefly Pokémon and partly not wanting to end the fascination they had with them. "Sorry it took so long. If you'll just wait here…"

Fran stepped closer to the shop, which was plainly titled 'The Herbal Shop', and went up its stairs. He fumbled with the keys in his pocket before disappearing inside, allowing Vence and Rai to continue viewing the spectacle before them. After minutes of silent watching, Fran stepped out of the shop with a small, ten year old girl by his side. Her face was hidden in the darkness, but when Volbeat and Illumise unintentionally touched again, Vence could make out her milky complexion, light brown hair and hazel eyes that hung heavy from a disturbed sleep.

"This is Madeline." Fran told Vence and Rai as he pointed to the little girl. She gave a small yawn before bowing slightly to the boys in her night gown. "She runs the store and has a lot of room to spare. She can heal your Pokémon and bandage you up no problem."

Vence and Rai nodded silently, unable to express their gratitude because of the calm aura that the girl emitted. She took no offense to their speechlessness and signaled for the boys to come into the store. As Rai made his way inside, Vence found the ability to speak once more.

"Th- There was an old woman back there…" he said to the girl, unsure why he felt she should know.

Fran slapped himself in the head for forgetting to tell her "It was Mrs. Gloratine." He told the small girl, who nodded in response.

"Volbeat… Illumise…" The sound of her voice caused the pokemon to spring awake and produce a steady, orange glow. "Mrs. Gloratine is lost again. Can you guide her and anyone else who is home?"

"Beat!" the Pokémon exclaimed.

"Mise!" The other piped.

The two firefly Pokémon flew off in different directions, both leaving a streak of orange light that lit the walls clearly in their wake. At that, Fran stepped inside the shop with Madeline. Vence only went inside when he was sure their light streaks wouldn't fade.

---

Inside the Herbal Shop, the neon lights from the street below seeped through the roof, allowing the four kids to easily navigate their was pass the herb shelves and berry trees that occupied most of the furniture space. As they proceeded into the back of the store, Fran took several of the herbs off the shelves.

"Can you take their Pokémon to the healing machine, Fran?" Madeline asked the pierced boy once they were all seated at the store's back room lounge table.

"Sure." He replied "I was just about to heal Bellossom and head to bed."

"No you aren't." the girl said, frowning at the statement "Your hand is crusty. You've been bleeding. I'm not dumb. Hurry up back."

Fran recoiled at the comment and hurried out of the room with Rai's Poké Balls. While he deciphered the healing machine's instructions, Madeline shoved an herb into Vence's mouth.

"Chew." She instructed. "Fran said you said you were shocked. This'll make you feel better."

Vence did as instructed and cringed at the bitter taste the herb held within. "It'll get sweet in a second." She smiled at the two as she poured a powder from a glass case into a cup of water. She sprinkled the water over Rai's bite mark and the boy instantly sighed in relief. After patching Rai's arm up and getting Vence a glass of juice for the herb that got more bitter, Madeline lead the boys upstairs, pass several doors and to a guest room.

"The beds aren't great, but they should do. There's a stand right there for your bags and, uhm…" Madeline stared at the two boys "good night." She closed the door and the boys heard her step lightly down the steps.

"This day has been hell." Rai groaned, throwing himself onto one of the beds "My sister won't believe this…" He turned to Vence, who had flopped onto one of the guest beds as well. "Do you think its okay to sleep here so easily?"

"I guess…" Vence muttered "She seemed nice enou-"

"UGHHHH!" Fran voice came loudly from the back area lounge "You used the herb that would sting on purpose!"

"Stop being a baby." Vence and Rai heard Madeline reply "Now come back over here and hand me your hand."

---

When Vence awoke from his sleep, he wasn't sure if it was night or day. He could see the outlines of a window frame, admittedly, but the Underground Path (which felt more like an underground neighborhood) was still significantly dark outside.

"_Must be hard living under here."_ He thought, before checking to see if Rai was asleep. He got his answer when he heard the light breathing of his peer. After vainly trying to get back to sleep, he got up and put back on his clothing. _"Guess I'll see who else is up. Maybe they know the time…"_

He silently made his way back downstairs and to the front of the shop, where he accidently knocked over a thin berry tree.

"_Crap"_ He thought, as he picked the tree back up. _"Hope no one heard…"_ He slowly opened the door and was greeted by the warm glow of Volbeat and Illumise, both sleeping soundly on the flower bed once again.

"Can't sleep?" Madeline's voice came from the darkness, causing Vence to look around in a futile attempt to find her. Volbeat and Illumise touched once more in their sleep and the front of the store was bathed in light, revealing the little girl sitting on first shop step, still in her night gown.

"Err, sort of." Vence said, walking awkwardly down the steps and stood besides her "I was just sort of wondering, you know, what time it is actually here?"

Madeline smiled at Vence "Your body's sleeping clock is good." She pointed to the roof that made up the Underground Station "The sun's about to come up."

"Huh?" Vence asked, looking up at the dark ceiling where Volbeat and Illumise's fading glow couldn't reach. "How can the sun come out here? "

The little girl hopped up and put her hand in Vence's causing him to blush. It felt like he was holding his own little sister's hand again before she left home with her partner Pokémon.

"Follow me." The little girl said, walking with experience through the darkness that was the Underground Station. Vence followed her blindly for what felt like several blocks before she stopped in a section of the Underground Path that was significantly darker than the other areas.

"What-"

"Hush. Look." Madeline took Vence's hand that held hers and pointed upwards as a small, barely noticeable string of light slowly made its way from the Underground Path's ceiling to the floor in front of them. It shimmered brightly in the dark, offering just enough light for Vence and Madeline to see each other's faces.

"This…" Vence began, but was silenced by Madeline's finger to his lips. She looked up once more and he followed suit. Another string of light dropped down front the ceiling landing on Vence's shirt and then another on Madeline's cheek. Vence gasped as hundreds of light strands began to make their way to the Underground Path, each one lighting a small area that Vence never knew existed in the darkness: The playful design of a bargain shop sign, a sleeping Meowth curled on top of a pile of manga magazines, two Pokémaniacs sleeping back to back and other small, beautiful scenes that made up the underground. The light pillars began to grow wider and fused together, bathing every single area in the Underground Path with a light that Volbeat and Illumise couldn't be compared to. The morning had come to the Underground Path.

"This…is great." Vence said, happy as a child at the beautiful day that rose from the horrible night before. He grinned broadly at the little girl before turning at the sound of familiar voices. His smile faded as he saw the slow bodies of Henry, Guam, Bethany, Lea, Manni, Pep and the pink haired girl make their way to the direction of the Herbal Shop, each one in a wrinkled outfit as outrageous as the other. Vence turned towards Madeline, who noticed the smile fade from his face.

"Hey, Madeline…" He began "Do the seven of them really sell their bodies?" His eyes were begging the girl to say no, but she nodded her head instead.

"I hope you don't think bad of them or Fran." Madeline told the downcast Vence "Or pity them all. I did once, and I can't forgive myself for it." Vence raised his head at the statement before she continued "Before my mommy died, she had let them live with us. They were all still…selling themselves…but my mommy convinced them to stop and help at the shop instead. They were only fifteen and I barely knew what up was."

"But why did they start?" Vence asked, fearing the answer.

Madeline gave him a sad look. "Because that was all they could do to live after leaving home when they were ten. Some of them, like Manni, were forced to go on a Pokémon journey because the people in the town he lived in pressured his parents into it, even though he was sick. The others got their heads full of hopes, but found out that they weren't as good as they thought they would be when they left home. A lot of them kept getting robbed. Julia did a couple of times before she came crawling into the city with no clothes, or at least that's what Fran told me."

"Ju-Julia?" Vence stuttered

Madeline gave a questioning look "You know, with the pink hair." Vence nodded before the girl continued her story. "When my mommy died they tried to keep her shop open because they were older, but couldn't find work because they had reputations already. Then the bills crowded up and some men were about to take the store away. But Julia didn't want them to, so she sold herself and got money to keep us open. And then the rest started to again." Madeline sniffed a little "I felt bad because I didn't like that they did it before my mommy took them in, but I was happy that I wouldn't be homeless because they were doing it."

Vence wanted to step back from the teary girl, but couldn't.

"The sad truth… The sad truth is that a lot of kids go on journeys and their parents think they are having great adventures when they're really struggling, but too ashamed to say it. And when they find a way to live, even if its not a very good way, they take it. They never call home again and their parents just think 'Wow, I bet my son or daughter is having a great adventure right now.' because they see a Pokémon tournament on T.V…. But… those eight didn't stop training their Pokémon…" Madeline looked up and squinted at the light that shone down from the ceiling "So I think that one day they'll all get up and go start collecting badges, like my mommy always wanted."

Vence tried not to grab the girl into a tight hug and start bawling when she began to smile. Madeline giggled at the lack of speech from the boy.

"I think that Fran didn't want you to end up with a bad experience, so he brought you here." She added "The others too, probably wanted you and Rai to have a nice place to sleep and set off on your quest again today."

"I'm not on much of a quest." Vence said, finally regaining his voice. "I don't even have a Pokémon." Madeline's eyes widened at the statement, causing Vence to step away awkwardly.

"Do you want one?" she said simply.

---

Madeline pounded on the door of an Underground Path shop with so much force that Vence was taken aback. When she received no indication that someone was on their way to let her and Vence in she began to pound some more, causing Vence to look around nervously at the stares several of the path's denizens were giving the two.

"WHO THE HELL IS UP TES EARLY!!" A voice shouted from the inside, setting off a group of Pokémon cries "ZEH BARBER SHOP ES NOT OPEN TODAY! TAKE UR POKEMON AND LEAVE!"

Madeline frowned at the response to her knocks. "Umm…Chang…It's-"the shop door flew open at the voice and a tall, lanky man with long black hair and almond shaped eyes spread his arm wide in front of Madeline. His face was stubbled and begged for a morning shave.

"MADELINE! 'ave you finally come to live with me and Zhong?" The man scooped the little girl up and gave her a big hug, despite looking like he was unable to lift anything as heavy as a human. When he set the girl down she pointed feebly to Vence, who just waived a shaking hand towards the man."Oh, who es tes?"

"This is Vence, a Pokémonless trainer." She told the older man, who raised his eyebrows curiously. "I was wondering if one of the ones that you took in might-"The man lifted his hand to silence the girl and signaled for the two to follow him into the shop.

"Are you sure about this?" Vence asked the girl when the man went inside the house.

She gave Vence a warm smile. "Positive."

---

Vence and Madeline followed Chang through a shop that appeared too clean to be run by any human. Several revolving chairs sprung from the shop's floor, each with a different colored cushion on it and a label on how much weight could fit on it. The walls of the shop featured several pictures of the Chang and a younger man with short hair, who Vence assumed was Zhong from their similar facial features, posing with a variety of happy Pokémon and their trainers with layers of cut hair by their feet.

"Zhong es still snoozing upstairs, Madeline" Chang told the girl as they entered the shop's kitchen. "I'm sure 'e won't protest to me handing over a Pokémon to someone suggested by yoo, though. " He opened a large door that flooded the kitchen with the morning's light. "Welcome, Vence to our little paradise!"

Vence, who had been covering his eyes from the sudden flow of light into the kitchen, gave a sharp gasp when he saw what appeared to be a backyard behind the brother's Barber Shop. Several Pokémon lay around a garden happily enjoying the morning sunshine, while others playful hopped into a miniature pond that seemed to host several Horsea, Goldeen and Surskit. Vence almost fainted as a large Rapidash casually strolled by.

"H- how could something like this exist back here." Vence asked, taking a step into the garden.

Chang scratched the back of his head nervously "Well it 'es not easy on e barber's salary, I'll tell yoo that! Some of our customers leave a large tip when tay plan on permanently leaving their Pokémon with us, probably from ze guilt. So my brother and I just keep em with us until interested trainers come 'n pick some up." As he spoke, a Murkrow flew onto his shoulder from a nearby tree. He scratched the underside of its beak fondly. "Of course we make sure te trainers are trustworthy; zeh Pokémon deserve it after being abandoned, especially in zeh Underground Path."

Several Snubbull began to gnaw at Chang's feet when he stepped deeper into the Garden. Vence and Madeline followed suite and were suddenly bombarded by various Pokémon from every end.

"See someone that yoo like?" Chang asked Vence as the boy released himself from under a group of Grimer "Take e stroll, get accustomed to zeh place. No rush."

Vence took the suggestion partly to get away from the sludge Pokémon, who turned their attention to Madeline. It didn't take him long to get acquainted with the garden, however. Although it was a large size, far larger than anyone would expect to encounter behind a shop, let alone one underground, it was still relatively small when the many Pokémon that roamed it were added to the equation.

"_So many abandoned."_ Vence thought _"I'd hate to be like them…wait…" _As Vence tried to find the error in his last thought, a small, black Pokémon hovered below him, curious at the creature with the dumb expression. The Pokémon circled around Vence unnoticed before slamming itself against his head, causing the boy to topple to grass.

"What the hell!" Vence moaned as he rubbed his bruised head. The cause of his fall floated in front of his face and caused the boy to let out an indignant squeal. The creature was creepy; it had one flat eye with black appendages sticking out of it and forming a 'V'. When Chang and Madeline rushed over to Vence, the man let out a large laugh.

"W-What's so funny?" Vence asked, trying not to turn pink in the face.

Chang wiped a tear from his eye and pointed to the Pokémon that continued to ram itself into Vence's head. When he continued to give the two a confused look, Madeline held up a peace sign with her right hand and traced it with her left index finger.

"I don't…" Vence began as he grabbed the Pokémon, by one its appendage and examined it closely. It took several minutes for him to realize the joke. The creature was shaped like a V. Vence name began with a V. Vence tossed the pair an annoyed look "It- It's not that funny!" he said lamely.

"That it is, friend." A slow voice came behind the group. They turned to see a groggy looking Zhong walking towards them with a cup of coffee in one hand and bag of Poké Balls in the other. Behind him Fran hovered slowly, eyes closed, with an angry looking Rai. Zhong lazily nodded towards the two boys"These two were pounding on our door, Chang. Surprised you didn't hear them. I just got done having a nice chat with them."

Fran pointed a lazy finger at Rai "This guy was worried you ditched him with strangers." He yawned, causing Rai to punch the back of his head.

"I thought we were being attacked again!" Rai fumed "I'm cynical after everything that happened yesterday!!"

"So you keep saying" Zhong mumbled, taking another sip of his coffee. He tossed a sleepy look Vence's way "That's an Unown by the way, doubt you've seen one from the expression you're giving it. They're not keen on our little dimension any how."

Vence shoved the Pokémon away only to have it try to slam back into his head "Could you sort of, call it off or something?" He asked, only to receive a chuckle from both brothers.

"No can do!" Chang grinned "Yoo came 'ere looking for e Pokémon and it looks like yoo found one!"

"A fitting one at that." Zhong added, noticing the creature's shape. "Talk about coincidence. I can't even remember who left it here." Zhong shoved his coffee into Rai's hands before digging through the bag of Poké Balls. After a moment he pulled a scratched one out of the bag and tossed it to Vence, who was still on the ground. "It's yours. Return it anytime you like."

"Haha." Vence muttered, returning the Pokémon to its ball to stop his migraine once and for all.

"Perfect!" Chang said clapping his hands together. "Now we can get to matters of more importance! Vence…Rai…your hair…"

---

"So what will you do now?" Rai asked Vence as they rested on the guest beds of the Herbal Shop. He happily tugged at his new hair amazed at the prowess that the haircut brothers possessed. The siblings refused to let Rai and Vence leave their store when Vence received his Pokémon, believing that as new trainers they should look his best when he set off on their journeys. The brothers forced them to the stools and cut away until they felt Rai didn't look like a cheap Volkner imitator and Vence's hair got significantly shorter. Fran was relieved that his hair was mostly shaven off.

"I guess I have to start… start journeying" Vence said, gazing at the Poké Ball on his lap. "I don't want to impose on these guys any longer."

"If you're worried about imposing, don't. Madeline would love some wholesome company around here." Then boys turned to see Fran standing at the guest room doorway. He had a large piece of paper rolled in his hand and waved it eagerly "If you're going to start journeying, I have the perfect plan of attack right here~."

"What are you talking about?" Rai asked as the boy walked into the room and unfolded the paper against one of its walls. When Fran finished pinning the paper to the wall, he stepped aside to show the two boys an old, tattered map of the Johto region. There were several locations marked on the map in different colors with Fran's scribbles on it. "What is that?"

"This." Fran placed a finger on one of the map's blue circles "Is the location of the nearest Pokémon contest happening in the next month and this…" he traced a green triangle on the map "Is the location of one of the most amazing gym leaders you'll ever meet.~"

Vence hopped off of the bed and got closer to the map, positive something was wrong with the markings "I never heard of a gym leader being there." He mumbled, looking at the other triangles that signified other gyms foreign to him.

"Me either" Rai added, checking the location on his Pokétch. "Looks like there is though…"

Fran put his hand over the blond boy's Pokétch "Forget what the map says and trust me~. There are other gyms out there besides the eight that annoying ten year olds happy with badges boast about."

Vence and Rai both gave Fran a look of uncertainty. He sighed and removed his hand from the Pokétch.

"Listen…" Fran said slouching on one of the beds "I have some things I want to accomplish myself that I can't in this city. If you want as many ribbons as you can get, Rai, and he needs eight badges so he can be welcomed back home, what could it hurt to help each other out?"

Vence and Rai looked at each other briefly. They were both unsure if they were going to end up travelling with the other after they left the underground before Fran's suggestion.

"So whattaya say boys? Wanna travel together?"

---

_A/N: And there you have it! The stories trio is suggested: Vence, the abandoned Pokémon trainer, Rai, the cool/tough coordinator and Fran, teen prostitute with certain ambitions revealed in the next chapter!_

_Like I said before, I have many gym leaders I'm tossing around in my head, but would love it if people suggested to submit! If you're interested, please fill out the form below in a review :D!_

Gym leader name:

Gym leader age:

Gym leader's appearance:

Gym leader's personality:

Gym leader title (ex: Brocks title is known as_ "The Rock-Solid Pokémon Trainer!")_

Type of Pokémon used (Water, fire, cute, yellow- its up to you!):

Pokémon used (no more than 4 please~ Include level and gender):

Gym design (How the gym looks. The Cerulean city gym is like a mini aquarium):

Badge name and design:

History:

Other:

_I'm sorry that I won't be able to use all the leaders that get submitted (if there is a lot) for the sake of keeping the set plot, but I'd be happy to use any leaders I'm not able to use as coordinators in contests and trainers that Vence battle. Until next time, C-ya!_


	5. Abandoned Anew

_A/N: So I tried to dedicate this chapter to as much character interaction as possible so everyone could get a feel of Vence, Rai and Fran's personalities. The next chapter will be battle heavy! I appreciate you guys reading so far!_

_---_

**Chapter five: Abandoned Anew**

"_Fuckin' Bitch!" the Rocket Grunt's boss spat as he delivered another hard kick to the olive skinned girl's gut "We're dead wit'out that damn thing! All ye had te do was rob a fuckin' train!" The gruff man continued his onslaught on the small girl, delivering a swift kick to the side of her face when she attempted to cover her stomach. Satisfied with her busted lip, he hunched back over to the furthest corner of the cell._

_The olive skinned girl was silent on the prison floor, fearing that her boss would continue his attack if she made any indication of living. She closed her eyes and tried her best to feel soothed by the cold prison floor._

"_They're not coming for us." The grunt boss spoke darkly to the brown skinned grunt hunched over in one of the cell's corners. "Ye almost don' Lulu?" The girl responded with a hacking sound before spewing a large amount of vomit in front of her. She dropped to the floor as the sick crept its way across the prison and between the grunt boss' legs. Turning slowly, she showed her boss the small, red and white sphere that she just regurgitated from her body._

"_Good." The older man thought, digging into his pocket and retrieving his own sick covered Poké Ball. "A' least that one knew te swallow her Poké Ball when arrested. Now to-"_

_Silent coughs from the olive skinned girl broke his thinking. He turned and, upon seeing the girl struggling to her feet, was sent into a blind rage._

"_Ye tryin' te get on my bad side." He screamed, rushing over to the girl and delivering another kick to her body. "Ye couldn't even keep ye Poké-" The feel of the vines wrapping forcefully around his neck made the man stop talking. He dropped his Poké Ball and tried to stop the vines from tightening around his neck, but couldn't tear them away._

"_Crush it, Ivysaur." He heard Lulu speak from behind him before the green vines jerked around his throat in an attempt to shatter his windpipe. The grunt boss could see the prison cell blurring and, in desperation, fell to his knees to retrieve the Poké Ball he had dropped. He felt around the ground blindly for seconds before feeling the small sphere brush across his pinky. As he reached to enlarge the ball, he felt a final, assertive jerk from Ivysaur's vines and heard the horrifying sound of his trachea being demolished._

_When the man's body went limp, Lulu crawled slowly to his discarded Poké Ball and then to her shivering companion "Are-Are you okay Thelm?" She spoke to the olive skinned girl with concern. She wasn't surprised when the girl began to cry._

"_I miss him so badly." Thelm sobbed as her older friend grabbed her into a mournful hug._

"_I know, I know." Lulu cooed, rubbing the girl's dirt-specked hair "We'll deal with that later. But we have to leave now…" Lulu broke the hug and presented her with their former boss' Poké Ball. "…and you need a Pokémon." Thelm took the sphere into her hands and began to sob silently to herself as Lulu got to her feet. "Ivysaur, SolarBeam the cell wall." _

"_Saur." The Pokémon replied, taking its vines around the man's neck._

---

"I don't understand why we're still in his damn city." Rai grumbled, folding his arms as he took a seat at one of the plastic tables that covered the roof of the Goldenrod Department Store. He gazed at the amazing skyline that the location provided making sure to avoid the direction of the red light district, which he now considered his own personal hell. "If we planned to travel why are we being slow about it?"

"It's simple, really!" Fran smiled as he spread his tattered map across the table he, Rai, and Vence sat at "You can't really leave Goldenrod without tasting vending machine drinks." He joyfully slammed three cans of soda over the old map to prove his point. Rai rolled his eyes at the move and frowned.

"So…" Vence began, trying to hide how odd it felt to be around the two boys he barely knew. Ever since they had agreed to travel with each other, he couldn't help but wonder what would happen if they all proved to be incompatible. He wasn't going to express this though, at fear of ending up travelling alone in a foreign region "Fran… the first city we have to go to is?"

"The one with a contest and Gym close to each other is called Heliotrope City." Fran replied in between sips of his soda. He took a closer look at the map and squinted his eyes "All that's written is that the leader's a dark-type trainer. Man my handwriting use to suck…"

"Her name's Vivian, Vence." Rai spoke up as he gazed down at his Pokétch "She's known as 'The adorable oxymoron trainer."

"Sounds menacing." Vence weakly joked, only to be met with a frown from Rai.

"This is the only Dark Gym in this region." Rai said seriously "I don't doubt she is."

Vence let out a barely audible "I guess."

"So what's the next place we have to hit?" Fran yawned, leaning back in his plastic chair "Seems like you charted everything in your gizmo Rai~"

Rai furrowed his brow at the boy's lack of technical knowledge "It's the best thing for trainers in my region." He replied before touching the watch's screen. "After Heliotrope City the next gym is in Gamboge Village. It's a water type gym."

"The leader there?" Vence asked.

"Cordelia, 'The-err, The drowning master of tides." The ironic name of the leader got a laugh out of Vence and Fran. Rai tried to remain composed, but couldn't help but smirk at the name as well. "From there there are two contest locations and then we'll be in Ecru town." Rai gave the watch a confused look.

"Problem?" Fran queried, tossing Vence a can of lemonade.

"No. It just says grass gym. That's all." Rai tapped the watch's screen a few more times "The next gym is in Razzmatazz City. A guy named Virgil is the gym leader there. He specializes in Fire types."

"That's…a lot of Gyms…" Vence murmured, more to himself than the others. He looked into the soda cupped in his hand dejectedly, causing Rai's jaw to twitch "Guess …I won't be going home anytime soon."

"Most trainers spend at least a year collecting badges." Rai told Vence "And I haven't even gone over half the gym leaders you're trying to go after. It's just something you have to get use to." He let out a slight sigh before opening his soda can and taking a big gulp.

"Cheer up!" Fran smiled to Vence "You could always forget the entire quest and work in the red light district with me. We could be a two for one special!" The suggestion caused Rai's eyes to widen and the boy unintentionally spit out his soda, showering Vence, Fran and the Map with his soft drink.

"Y-you can't be serious!" Rai fumed, wiping the soda from his mouth "You can't leave me here! You were the one to suggest traveling-"

"I…think it was a joke Rai." Vence said, making a mental note of Rai's lack of humor. Fran let out a loud chuckle as the almond eyes boy turned away from the two in embarrassment and took another swig of his drink.

"Oi! Oh my gosh!" A voice shouted across the rooftop, causing the boys and several resting shoppers to turn towards it. Vence and Rai gave surprised looks to Bethany as she waved happily to the three boys with her fellow workers beside her.

"Getting some shopping in?" Fran shouted as his former co-workers approached the table with several bags from the Department Store's various sections.

"You know it!" Henry spoke up; waving a bag full of clothing "It's not every day Julia lets us buy stuff for ourselves." The group let out a round of genuine laughter as the pink haired girl knocked the buff boy across the head. Rai sunk into his chair and tried to go unnoticed. He wasn't particularly fond of the entire group because of their lifestyle.

"We're okay financially for a while." Julia spoke up as Jynx nodded behind her. "So you're starting up your journey again?" she said, turning to Fran.

"Yea." The boy rubbed the back of his head nervously. "Sorry for just starting up so sudden. I just have to do a few things out there."

"No need to explain, idiot." Fran winced as Lea's thin frame leaned over his head "Just make sure you come back home rich! And catch me some exotic Pokémon! " Fran gave a weak nod as the pressure from the girl began to crush his neck.

Vence felt a little uneasy as he watched the interaction Fran had with his friends. He held onto his stomach to try to stop the horrible feeling of homesickness in his gut. After the events that took place since he left home, he couldn't help but miss the comfortable environment his family provided, despite what they did to him.

"_They're acting the way I did when Anita left home."_ He thought to himself, bringing up a mental image of his sister _"I wonder if I could get in contact with her from-" _A hard slap to his back brought Vence back to reality.

"Congratulations on getting a Pokémon!" Guam bellowed, giving the boy another hard pat on the back "We should battle sometime!"

"Oh! Me!" Bethany shouted, pulling Vence's head into her large bosom and making him turn red "Battle me!"

"H-hey!" Guam stuttered "I suggested it!" The two friends got into a mini squabble as Vence gazed at them in amazement and confusion. He wasn't sure how to respond to light hearted personalities the prostitutes possessed outside of the red light district as he was pulled closer into Bethany's embrace, slightly to his delight.

"J-just have a double battle." Rai stammered, breaking the silent streak he had began when the teens approached the table.

"Oh! Great!" Bethany clapped her hands, still smothering Vence "Will you join in Rai!?"

"N-no" He continued to stammer as he turned away from Bethany's gaze "I-I'll just- err-"

"Guam you can't battle." Julia cut in "We have more shopping to do and you're the bag holder this time. Henry can take you place."

"What!?" Guam exclaimed before silencing at Julia's stare "Ugh, this is so unfair."The muscular boy slumped back to Julia's side and Pep, Manni and Jynx patted his back in comfort before dumping their bags on him.

"I guess I'll play along then" Fran said rising from his chair and facing Vence "Being battling partners isn't as fun as co-workers, but should be interesting. Ready Vence?"

"Y-yea." Vence spoke up, still zoned out because of his closeness with Bethany.

"Catch up later Bethany and Henry." Julia waved before loading her bag onto Guam. She signaled to Manni, Pep, Lea and Jynx with a smile "Let's hit the TM corner next."

"Jynx!" the Pokémon spoke happily as the group walked off with Guam struggling behind them.

---

"Are you sure we should be doing this, er, here?" Vence shouted across the rooftop as several shoppers looked at the four trainers with interest. Rai sat at a table nearby acting as the battle's unamazed, unofficial referee.

"Don't sweat it man!" Henry called back to him "They love a show!" several people from the slowly forming crowd cheered in agreement at the boy's words. "Enough talk already! Poké Ball, GO!" Henry shouted, tossing the ball into the air.

"Let's go!" Bethany cheered, tossing her own ball into the air. The light that reputed from the two seemed to enthrall the crowd because they began cheering as the Pokémon were released.

"Lopunny!" Bethany's Pokémon piped, landing on a nearby table and striking a rather cool looking pose. Vence and Rai turned a florid hue when they saw the creature, remembering the outfit they met Bethany in.

"Ot!" Henry's Pidgeot screeched as it flew in quick circles above the rooftop generating another round of cheering from the crowd.

"Tourist." Rai grumbled to himself.

"Ready then?" Fran asked

"Yea" Vence replied, holding his Poké Ball in his hand. Both boys threw their spheres into the air releasing their own Pokémon onto the table filled battlefield. When both Pokémon were fully released, the crowd looked amongst themselves awkwardly.

"Wooper?" Fran's small, blue Pokémon looked around confused at the large, unamazed crowd.

"J-just ignore them." Fran smiled as sweat dripped down his neck.

Upon Unown's release the Pokémon began bashing itself against Vence's head in rage.

"Unown!" The creature shouted, poking Vence in the neck with its looped appendage as the boy covered his head. "Un un unown!" The creature landed a small, hit across Vence's face which he knew was meant to be a slap.

"Wh-what are you doing!?" he asked the Pokémon that angrily stared him down with its one eye. He took a few steps back when he felt a small wave of hostile energy emit from the creature "Are- Are you upset about being captured-" As a reply, the Pokémon gave Vence's cheek another slap.

"Everything okay there?" Henry called over as a series of whispers and giggles began to rise from the watching crowd. Vence tried to cover his embarrassed face from the crowd, which seemed to make Unown even angrier.

Fran gave an awkward laugh at the scene "Err Wooper. Could you…" The water fish nodded before wobbling over to the floating Unown, opening its mouth wide and spraying it with a small blast of water. Fran shook his head at the miscommunication.

"Woop!" The Pokémon squeaked to Unown, who floated to its face level enraged. The water Pokémon nudged its head in the direction of Lopunny and Pidgeot, who were giving their trainers agitated looks at being called out to face such inexperienced opponents. Unown caught wind of their emotions and wasn't pleased.

"What- What are you doing?" Vence asked Unown as it rose high into the air, surrounded by a ring of white light. The crowd winced as the light grew brighter and began to split in various parts until Unown was surrounded by several small, white orbs.

"G-get down idiots!" Rai shouted to the crowd before diving under the table he was sitting at. With a loud cry, Unown sent the orbs flying in every direction, causing a great amount of panic as they collided with tables, vending machines and shoppers. The crowd that had expected to watch a battle became a large stampede as they rushed to the stairs that lead to the lower shopping levels desperately seeking safety.

"Unown!" The Pokémon screeched before releasing another Hidden Power attack onto the roof top. Wooper danced around the attack in panic before Fran called it back into its ball.

"Vence, could you do something?" Fran shouted as he lowered himself on the ground to keep out of Unown's aim.

"S-stop!" Vence stuttered, freezing up as Unown turned to stare at him. The Pokémon zoomed towards Vence and circled the boy curiously at the feeling he was emitting. "What are you doing?"

"Unown" the Pokémon replied before rolling its eyes when it processed the emotion as nervousness. It hovered away from Vence and over the roof's edge.

"Where are you going!?" Vence screamed, chasing after the Pokémon. It gave Vence another eye roll as it lowered itself down the building's side. "Wait! I need you!" Vence looked over the edge and saw Unown swiftly make its way down to the street below, spinning several times as if searching in every direction it could.

"Hurry and go after it!" Henry shouted, pulling the boy away from the roof's ledge. "It'll get away if you don't. Pidgeot, follow Unown!" The bird screeched before outstretching its wings and soaring into the sky with one, large flap. It sped down the side of the building in pursuit with ungodly speed. "Go!" Henry shouted to Vence once more before the boy rushed towards the rooftop's stairs and stumbled down them.

"God..." Rai grumbled, rising from under the table "We should've left this hell hole."

"Don't think like that~" Fran replied, dusting himself off "What's a journey without some bumps?"

"We've all had plenty of them already." Rai said, pointing to his bite mark and Fran's scabbed right hand, which he covered quickly.

---

The fall down the rooftop stairs wasn't nearly as painful to Vence as the long wait he had to endure in the elevator to the first floor. He tried to drown out the sound of classical music that continued to stream into the box and ignore the chatter of two oblivious girls that spoke in a language Vence didn't care to understand.

"_I need that Pokémon!"_ He clutched his head feeling a pounding headache begin. _"I can't go home without-! Why are these girls so loud! Where did that Pokémon go? Crap, what do I do?"_ When the elevator signaled that they were on the first floor with a jolly 'ding', Vence pushed the girls out of his way and made a dash towards the store's entrance. Forgetting about the soaring Pidgeot in the sky, he looked around the busy block before running blindly into the crowd and down several streets, unable to shake the feeling that he was close to the run-away Unown. _"__**I need that Pokémon!"**_ He mentally screamed before crashing into something hard and plummeting to the ground.

Vence took a moment to actually look at his surroundings and found himself in an abandoned alleyway several streets away from the Goldenrod Department Store. He rose to his feet slowly and rubbed his head, searching for what he collided with.

His eyes widened when he discovered it "S...sh-"

"Shit." Lulu spoke softly as she watched the olive skinned grunt rise to her feet with Unown tucked safely between her arms.

---

_A/N: So what do you think? I appreciate reviews! I'll keep writing regardless, but by god if they don't motivate me like crazy! Much thanks to Vivronkasaur and SwAlLoWiNg DaNtE for their OC submissions of Vivian and Virgil, who I have very wonderful things in store for! If you are interested in submitting an OC, the form is located in chapter 4! Farewell for now!_

_P.S: I am contemplating changing the name of the story. The name was significant, but not anytime soon. Hmm, perhaps a classic "OC's Journey" title with a twist. Hmmm._


	6. Leaving

**Chapter six: Leaving**

_A large crowd of Goldenrod City residents tried their best to get a view of the questionable scene that took place behind the police barricade preventing their evening commute home. From every direction angry slurs were tossed to the officers, who tried their best to hold their ground and prevent the emergency behind them from becoming more severe by the one before them._

"_Please!" Officer Jenny spoke loudly to the crowd "Make your way down the other street! This barricade is set up for you safety!" As several trainers and businessmen grumbled and followed her orders, more people began to join the crowd more interested in the smoke that rose in the distance than their own safety._

"_What'ya think it is?" A tall boy asked his little sister, who just shrugged a response. The girl let out a sigh when her older brother lifted her off the ground and awkwardly placed her on his shoulders. _

"_Jerk!" she mumbled before scrunching her eyes and looking into the distance._

_In the middle of the molten street that lay behind the blockade, a creature cringed in pain as three Wartortles opened their mouths wide and released powerful jets of water that crashed at it from every side. The Pokémon dropped to the ground defeated and the officer that commanded the Turtle Pokémon lifted his hand for the creatures to stop. They waited in anticipation for a few moments until the creature began to produce small flames. With a wave of the officer's hand, another Hydro Pump was released, completely submerging the fire Pokémon this time. The impact caused a large deal of smoke to release from the creature's body and spread slowly throughout the area._

"_I can't believe it." The girl heard Nurse Joy speak softly from the other side of the barricade. "First the police station and now the hospital. Why is it attacking these places?" Officer Jenny shook her head sadly as the creature let out another, agonizing cry._

---

Vence's first thought was _"I can't believe I was nervous around these girls."_ When he saw the busted lip that Thelm sported and ripped, thrifty clothing the girls wore. When his shallow thinking subsided, he realized he was still nervous around the girls, but for an entirely different reason _"I killed her Poliwhirl."_ He thought _"I killed a member of Team Rocket's Poliwhirl." _He gazed up at the girl who seemed to be reflecting his shocked expression.

"You-"she hesitated mid sentence and embraced Unown tighter. The Pokémon wiggled happily in her arms, savoring the energy being released between the two. "You-"

"B-bastard!" Lulu shouted, tossing her Poké Ball in the air and releasing Ivysaur. The Pokémon wasted no time in wrapping its long, green vines around Vence's neck, who immediately tried to pry them off him. _**"We're dead because of YOU."**_ The high pitch of her voice caused Ivysaur to lift the choking Vence several feet off the ground and slam him against one of the alley's walls several time, only stopping when it heard the boy's whimpers and breathless gurgles. Content, Ivysaur tossed the boy in a pile of nearby trash cans.

"Are you okay, Thelm?" Lulu asked, as she bent over the girl and placed a gentle hand on her shoulder "We're lucky this happened! We can make him make amends for Poliwhirl."

"I know." She whispered, looking at the PokéBall that sat on her belt. Unown looked in Vence's direction and squinted its eye. It never intended for the boy to get hurt when it led him on a chase to the person who seemed to emit an emotional distress wave connected to him. Unwilling to let the events continue, it wiggled out of Thelm's arms and floated towards Vence, who desperately tried to stand.

"Unown!?" The Pokémon said floating in front of its struggling master in defense. The girls picked up on the feeling it was releasing.

"Y-you're the one that made us meet!" Lulu shouted before nodding to Ivysaur.

"Iv!" The Pokémon cried before releasing its vines once more and sending them speeding towards Unown. The symbol Pokémon began to produce its ring of light, but before it could release its Hidden Power attack, it was slapped by the vines and sent flying towards the alley wall where it crashed and collapsed next to Vence, unmoving. It tried to ignore the feelings of distress that it and its trainer emitted.

"Not…purpose…" Vence mumbled on his knees as he lightly shook Unown, who didn't respond to his touch. "I didn't…mean to…" Ivysaur's vines sped back at Vence and landed an audible strike against the boy's arm. "**Eugghhh!!!!**" Vence screamed in torment as Ivysaur continued to whip every inch of his body, each hit tearing a cut in his shirt where a red gash began to open. When the Pokémon was done, Vence was nothing more than a whimpering pile of meat on the alley floor.

"Do-Do we…" Thelm didn't know how to finish the sentence. Lulu just nodded as an answer.

"Ivysaur, finish both of them off. Aim for his neck and use Razor Le-"

"Torch her!" a shout came from behind the girls, immediately taking their attention away from Vence. Both of the girls turned and covered their faces as several small, fire bolts were hurled in their direction. Ivysaur jumped in front of the attack in an attempt to protect them, but couldn't stop the flaming balls from connecting with the side of Thelm's neck and Lulu's arm.

"**Augghhhhhhhh!**"Thelm cried in agony and fell backwards, covering her searing flesh "**It burnnnnaagghhhhh!**" She rolled around the dirty alley floor in pain as Lulu retuned her fallen Ivysaur and hurried to the girl's side, ignoring her own scalding flesh.

"This is what I meant by we should've left this city!" Rai grunted as his Growlithe stood by his side snarling at the girls. He hurried to Vence's side and helped the boy to his feet, picking up Unown as he did. Vence would have expressed his joy if his body didn't burn so much. "Are you okay? S-shit!! They vine whipped you!"

"The train…those are the ones…" Vence sniffled weakly pointing to the girls. Rai took a closer look at Lulu as she knelt over a sobbing Thelm.

"Y-you have to be kidding me- The Rockets!? Are they following us?" He used Unown to slap himself on the head in an attempt to wake up from a dream, but only caused Unown to wake up, angrily. It cried menacingly at him as it floated in the air. "You shut up!" He pointed at Unown "This is your damn-"

"No..." Thelm's cracked voice shouted, taking Rai's attention from Unown. She leaned on Lulu's shoulder to stand and clung onto her sizzling neck. Rai tried to ignore the tears that were falling from her face.

"I-I'm sorry." Rai muttered, unsure why he was apologizing to someone seconds from committing murder. "You-"

"He's dead." The girl cried harder as Lulu struggled to hold her with her burned arm. Thelm shifted her weight off her companion and snapped a dirty, scarred Poké Ball off her belt. She took a moment to stare at it before pressing the button in the middle and spreading the ball's red glow throughout the alley. "It's… only fair… you have to give consolation…"

---

A few streets away from Rai and Vence, Henry's Pidgeot sailed through the sky screeching, garnering a lot of attention from the denizens of Goldenrod. They looked at the bird amused and terrified as it flapped its wing menacingly and made demented aerial loops. Several Pidgeys joined in on the act and preformed zany twirls in the air, accidently crashing into each other on occasion. The people that looked at the bird's antics couldn't hold in their laughs at the obviously confused Pokémon.

"Now that's a show, innit~?" Fran gazed into the sky As Bellossom frantically looked around the parking lot they stood in. "Better than Wooper's distraction for-"

"Bell!" The Pokémon piped, snapping Fran back to the present. It produced a small, sharp leaf from its grassy skirt and lifted it in its hand. "Bellossom!"

"Oh, right, sorry~!" Fran apologized, taking the leaf. He inconspicuously strolled through the parking lot with Bellossom by his side until the two came across a medium sized, rusty pick-up truck that looked like it could contain five people in its cargo area. "Now this one doesn't look like it'd be missed~."

"Bell!" Bellossom chimed in as it kept watch. Slyly, Fran stuck the leaf Bellossom gave him in the pick-up truck's keyhole. He adjusted the leaf several times before he heard a series of clicks come from the car.

"Got it~" Fran smiled as he took out the leaf to give Bellossom a low high-five. He grabbed the truck's handle and gave a small tug, only to find the vehicle was still locked. "We don't have time for this…" Fran frowned and turned to Bellossom. He gave the creature a desperate look.

"Bellossom" The Pokémon sighed before nodding its head.

"Thanks!" Fran squealed "This'll be the last time this way, I swear~" Bellossom took a few steps back when Fran cracked his knuckles and shook his right hand to loosen up. After checking the parking lot one more time, Fran balled his hands into a tight fist and sent it smashing through the truck window. The glass shattered instantly and fell to the lot's ground and car's interior. After thanking the forces that be for guiding him to a car with no alarm, Fran stuck his hand through the truck window and unlocked it from the inside. "After you." He smiled opening the door for Bellossom, who cringed at the sight of his bloody right hand.

"Ell" Bellossom said shaking its head at Fran as it was helped into the truck. Fran slammed the door when he went in after the creature.

"Now~" Fran said searching for something that would help him hot wire the car faster "Ready to work our magic Bellossom?" The Pokémon nodded happily. Overhead, Pidgeot did one last loop in the sky to distract the large crowd it had gathered. When it saw Fran enter the truck below it, the bird let out one last screech before flying over the alley Rai and Vence were in and soaring away to its trainer.

"God that bird is cool." Fran muttered when the truck's engine came on.

---

The red glow spread further in front of Vence and Rai before condensing itself to a smaller shape. When the light faded, an intimidating, red slug stood before them all. Its flesh, which seemed to be entirely made out of magma, bubbled slowly as it seemed to seep off the creature with every exhale.

"Magcargo?" The Pokémon cried gruffly, looking around the area in confusion. The girls gave each other nervous looks at its reaction. Magcargo was looking for its trainer.

"I-I'm…" Thelm stuttered "I'm your master now. Boss isn't here- S-so use-"

"**MAG!!!**" The creature bellowed, silencing the girl and making her drop it's Poké Ball. The Lava Pokémon slowly turned towards the direction it felt its master was, which happened to be behind Vence and Rai. It opened its mouth wide and let several pieces of magma drip to the ground as smoke began to rise from its throat.

"Unown!" Vence's Pokémon squeaked before glowing red and returning itself to its Poké Ball.

"D-Damnit!" Rai fumed as the smoke began to produce small sparks that got wider and the Pokémon's body began to glow "That's Overheat- shit!" He pushed Vence to the ground and ducked down himself. "Growlithe- Safeguard!"

Vence and Rai shut their eyes as Magcargo released a massive, continuous blast of red and yellow fire that burned with such intensity that its color began to turn blue and white. Growlithe leapt in front of its trainer and Vence before the flames made contact with them and surrounded itself and the boys with the golden sphere that was its Safeguard attack.

"T-thanks Growlithe! You get snacks for a week." Rai said in relief as he watched Magcargo's flames swirl around the golden shell that protected them and erupt into the street from the alley. "Keep it up!"

"Growlithe!" The Pokémon barked, focusing on maintaining the Safeguard. Magcargo used Overheat relentlessly for five minutes before the attack began to wane and eventually died out. Growlithe collapsed on the ground in exhaustion.

"Growlithe, return." Vence said as he absorbed the puppy Pokémon back into its Poké Ball while helping a limp Vence back off the alley ground.

"Ma…" Magcargo took one last look at the exhausted Vence and Rai, pathetic Lulu and Thelm and its discarded Poké Ball that lay in front of the girls before it began a slow trek past the boys and out the alley, leaving a melted path in its wake. When the Pokémon made it to the middle of the street, it raised its head into the air and closed its eyes, trying to feel the presence of its master. When Magcargo felt no sign of its trainer, it used its double team attack to create four excellent replicas of itself. Without even discussing, the five Magcargos each began a slow march in different directions in search for its master.

"This is all wrong…" Thelm spoke up, bringing Vence, Rai and Lulu's attention back to the alley way "This is..." She turned to Vence "What's your name?"

Vence was surprised he found the strength to speak so clearly. "I'm Vence."

"Vence…" she took some time to get use to the name "Vence… you….this is all so, so wrong. But what you did was so much worse."

"I-" Vence began before being silenced by Lulu's raised hand.

"From… this moment on." Thelm continued "Lulu and I…. have….a vendetta against you." She weakly pointed to Lulu, who was holding her up, to prevent him from being confused. "I won't stop…until I kill you or… one of your Pokémon."

Rai, who had previously felt a bit of sympathy for the girl, gave her a disgusted look. "Do you really think that would make your Poliwhirl happy?" he asked angrily "Killing another trainer's Pokémon!?"

"No." Thelm spoke as Lulu shook her head at Rai. "But its not as if his happiness matters now does it? I just need peace of mind now… before Lulu and I are…" Rai's jaw tightened at the comment and the girls gave weak nods at his reaction. "Until later…Vence." Thelm said weakly before she and Lulu began a slow, steady walk out of the alley way and into the street. They gave the molten paths in the road a somber look before walking away from it and their problems.

"Let's...go." Vence spoke to Rai, taking his focus off the abandoned Poké Ball on the ground.

"Y-yea…" Rai replied. The boys began their own slow walk outside of the alley, but didn't have to go too far. Before they made it out of the alley a rusty, red pick-up truck pulled up in front of them, taking them both by surprise.

"You two look like crap. Get in~" Fran chimed from the window as Bellossom hopped in the seat besides him. Even after such an intense encounter, Vence and Rai couldn't help but become flustered at what they saw before them.

"Wh- Fran! You're on the side walk!" Rai shouted at the boy, almost letting Vence slip from his shoulder. "Are you even old enough to have a license!!??!"

"Err- whose car is that?" Vence inquired "Why is your hand bleeding like when we met you-"

Fran let out a grunt. "Enough questions! We're going to Vivian's Gym and the Heliotrope City Pokémon Contest now and in this big guy we don't have to walk. Not that it looks like you actually can right now Vence~." Rai and Vence let out a sigh before smirking. Fran caught the expressions. "That's it~! Now get in the back, our bags and food supply is up here being guarded from me by Bellossom."

Vence and Rai crept their way onto the back of the rusty pick-up truck and locked the surprisingly sturdy tail gate. When Fran saw that his friends were loaded, he pulled off the sidewalk at a modest speed, to Vence and Rai's delight.

"No one will stop us in this, right?" Vence asked as he slowly began to drift to sleep in the back of the truck aided by the wounds that stung every inch of his being. "Not even Officer Jenny?"

"Nah~" Fran shouted from the driver's seat. "That Magcargo that came from the same alley as you when I pulled up seems to be causing a lot of trouble, so we're pretty safe for now. Gotta switch the plates soon though~"

Rai frowned at the comment before lying back in the truck and looking at the city's skyscrapers pass by. In the distance he could see where the Magcargo and its double team clones were by the five, large pillars of smoke they raised into the air through their fire. With a sigh, he closed his eyes and tried to drift to sleep.

---

_A/N: And that, Lasses and Youngsters, brings us to the end of this story focusing on how Vence, Fran and Rai became a team! Now I shall begin a new story where they try to obtain Vence's badges, Rai's ribbons and Fran's 'aspirations', which will be rated T for teen now :D (yes, death and swearing will still occur, just not as much.) I will still use OCs given so far =). Thanks for sticking with me. Hope you enjoy this, please leave a comment!_


	7. Character Sheet

Every five chapters or so, I'll make a list of characters that have been introduced in the story so far. This'll just be a sort of reference guide for anyone that finds themselves confused with who's-who in the story that I made. I'll also add a few sentences explaining who the character is and add the pokemon they own in bullets under them. Without further adieu, let me re introduce you to:

* * *

**The Trio **

Vence- A sixteen year old boy from a suburb outside of Saffron City. Has no issues with Pokémon, but had no desire to become a trainer. Was forced into his journey after his parents abandoned him in Johto.

_**Unown (V shaped)**_

.

Rai- A sixteen year old boy that wishes to be a Pokémon coordinator specializing in the Cool and Tough areas. Appears to be from the Sinnoh region judging from the Pokétch he owns and his hairstyle, which is modeled after Volkner.

_**Nidoran**_

_**Growlithe**_

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Fran- A sixteen year old boy that found shelter in 'The Herbal Shop' located in Goldenrod City's Underground Path. Is a teenage prostitute along with several others in Goldenrod City's red light district. Wishes to travel with Vence and Rai to fulfill his own ambitions.

_**Bellossom**_

_**??? (Was mentioned to have a 2nd Pokémon.)**_

* * *

**Trio's Family**

Vence's Mother (Name Unknown)- A famous Pokémon trainer that made a home with her husband in the suburbs. Appears to have a marriage that lasted through battling Pokémon.

_**Charizard**_

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Vence's Father (Name Unknown) - A famous Pokémon trainer that made a home with his wife in the suburbs. Escorted Vence to Johto before abandoning him.

_**Tyranitar**_

_**Exeggutor**_

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Vence's sister (Name Unknown)- A ten year old girl that seems to be a Pokémon prodigy. Possibly working for Erika at the Celadon City Gym. It is assumed that she suggested abandoning Vence in Johto.

**_??? (Mentioned to have received a starter Pokémon.)_**

.

Rai's sister (Name Unknown)- Rai mentions how she wouldn't believe the events that he was involved in.

* * *

**Team Rocket**

Olive skinned girl (Name Unknown)- A sixteen year old girl that works as a Grunt for team rocket. She appears to be good friends with the brown skinned grunt. Her Poliwhirl is killed by Vence during the train battle.

_**Poliwhirl (deceased)**_

.

Brown skinned girl (Name unknown)- An older girl that works as a Grunt alongside the olive skinned girl. Has appeared to be more social than her partner, giving Vence a peace sign during the train ride to Johto.

_**Ivysaur**_

.

Grunt leader (Name Unknown)- A tall and wide man that seems to be the boss of the two grunts. Vence witnessed him kick the younger grunt as they rode away in Officer Jenny's police van, indicating an abusive relationship between him and his charges.

_**??? (Is assumed to have a Pokémon.)**_

* * *

**The Goldenrod red light district workers (excluding Fran)**

Guam- A muscular boy that works as a prostitute in the red light district. He dresses as a Machamp to draw customers and appears to own two of them that he orders to watch the smaller members during snack runs.

_**Machamp**_

_**Machamp**_

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Bethany- A large breasted girl that works as a prostitute in the red light district. She dresses in a small Lopunny costume to draw customers and is very dramatic.

_**??? (Was mentioned to be a Pokémon trainer. Exact number of Pokémon is unknown.)**_

.

Lea- A thin girl that works as a prostitute in the red light district. She dresses as a Lopunny costume to draw customers and is helped with her make up by Bethany.

_**??? (Was mentioned to be a Pokémon trainer. Exact number of Pokémon is unknown.)**_

.

Manni- A frail boy that works as a prostitute in the red light district. He appears to be trusted with the group's snack runs. Was forced to go on a journey despite having a sickness by his parents, who were receiving pressure from the town.

_**??? (Was mentioned to be a Pokémon trainer. Exact number of Pokémon is unknown.)**_

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Pep- A small girl that works as a prostitute in the red light district. She wears tight leather and has a small accent. Used her Pokémon to tie up a man that refused to pay her before fleeing his car with his wallet.

_**Caterpie**_

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Henry- A muscular boy that works as a prostitute in the red light district. He dresses in a revealing football player costume to draw customers. Vence realized that the group was prostitutes when he saw Henry get into a car with a bunch of businessmen waving money.

_**??? (Was mentioned to be a Pokémon trainer. Exact number of Pokémon is unknown.)**_

.

Julia- A Pink haired girl that works as a prostitute in the red light district. Apparently able to make enough money for the whole group not to worry about surviving for two months. Receives lots of cat calls.

_**Jynx**_

* * *

**The Underground Path**

Madeline- a ten year old girl that watched over an herbal shop after her mother passed away. She is able to keep the shop open because of the money that the prostitutes give her. Possesses a calm aura.

_**Volbeat**_

_**Illumise**_

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Madeline's Mother (Name Unknown)- A deceased woman that took in took in the young prostitutes to stop them from selling their bodies. Died by causes unknown.

.

Chang- The older haircut brother of the Underground Path's barbershop. Has a thick accent from a region unknown. Has apparently asked Madeline to live with him and his brother several times.

_**Several abandoned Pokémon**_

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Zhong- The younger haircut brother of the Underground Path's barbershop. Appears to lack the accent his sibling possesses and is the one who began to take in abandoned Pokémon.

_**Several abandoned Pokémon**_

* * *

**Others**

Mrs. Gloratine- An old woman that seems to get lost in the darkness of the Underground Station a lot. Is helped home by Volbeat and Illumise.

.

Pierced Gang- Four men that attempted to steal Rai's Growlithe to sell to Goldenrod City's casino.

_**Persian (thrown inside dumpster while in its Poké Ball)**_

_**Persian (thrown inside dumpster while in its Poké Ball)**_

_**Persian (thrown inside dumpster while in its Poké Ball)**_

_**Persian (thrown inside dumpster while in its Poké Ball)**_

* * *

A/N: And there you have it! The characters so far! I hope this helps as a quick guide to anyone that hears their name in later chapters and need to know who they are! I'll update the info as the individuals listed reveal their name and Pokémon :D!


End file.
